This invention relates to a type of enclosed foot-bandage or protective boot for use principally in conjunction with animals such as horses, sheep, and cows.
Animals such as horses or cows periodically suffer foot disease often initially as a result of unintentional contact with, and perhaps penetration by objects lying on or partially embedded within the ground. The existence of a horse shoe is no protection. Some forms of damage may result in bruising of the underlying tissues and some may result in the introduction of infection, leading to purulent abscesses, tetanus, or other sequels. Subclinical losses in milk production particularly in younger cows in New Zealand is commonly caused by the effects of stone bruises. The younger cows are pushed around by bossy lead cows while walking along a stony race to reach the cowshed. Furthermore, there are a number of foot conditions which are believed to arise independently of actual contact trauma, including laminitis. One cause of laminitis in the horse is poisoning with wood shavings from the black walnut Juglans niger. Footrot in sheep can comprises a serious cause of lameness and treatment is often by paring back the affected hoof. There is a need to protect trimmed hooves particularly of valuable sheep.
A number of foot-bandages or enclosed boots exist for use with animals such as horses and cows; either for applying medication to a hoof, or for protecting the hoof from further damage, or to serve both functions together are known, but none appear to to provide a satisfactory solution to the problem. One of the most relevant prior art documents is U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,482 to Wright for a pressurisable foot bandage and pump to reduce laminitis. Like many others, e.g. Glass et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,958 xe2x80x9cSize-adjustable composition horsebootxe2x80x9d and Glass, U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,754 xe2x80x9cAdjustable boot-type composition horseshoexe2x80x9d it depends on a metal clasp like those used in ski bindings to tighten up laces to hold the boot in place. Origgi et al EP 0 651 942, teach a hoof-enclosing boot having adaptations for an existing horse shoe which is held in place by resilience plus engagement about the protruding rear parts of the horse shoe. Rice U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,940 xe2x80x9cApparatus for applying lotion to a hoofxe2x80x9d teaches a conical absorbent bandage, capable of being impregnated with some lotion, which fits over the hoof up to about as far as the coronary band and is held in place with xe2x80x9chook and eyexe2x80x9d (Velcro) fasteners in the form of circumferential straps. Nothing at all goes under the hoof and it is not easy to appreciate how the device would stay in place.
The problem to be solved could be stated as xe2x80x9chow can a durable, retainable enclosed boot for use on a hoofed animal be provided, so that medication can be applied to a diseased hoof or so that the hoof can be protected for a periodxe2x80x9d.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved foot-bandage or enclosed boot for protection of a hoof of an animal, or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.
In a first broad aspect the invention provides a flexible boot for covering a hoof of an animal, wherein the boot includes (a) a pliable base having an upper surface, and (b) a resilient upper, attached about an outer periphery of the pliable base and having an anterior and a posterior aspect; the resilient upper having on substantially the entire outer surface a first fastenable surface of the xe2x80x9ccomplementary hook and eyexe2x80x9d type; the resilient upper also having (c) boot attachment means comprising at least one set of flexible and substantially non-extendible straps having at least one complementary fastenable surface of the xe2x80x9chook and eyexe2x80x9d type; the straps thereby being capable in use of forming a reversible attachment with any portion of the resilient upper and thereby holding the flexible boot on to the hoof of the animal.
In a related aspect the invention further provides a flexible boot as previously described in this section, wherein the pliable base comprises a relatively hard sole capable in use of bearing the weight of the animal; the resilient upper comprises a relatively soft material produced upwardly from the base so as to have a shape of a posteriorly slanted, truncated cone having a height sufficient in use to cover the hoof to about the position of the coronet; the upper further including reversible boot attachment means comprising in combination (a) provision of the first fastenable surface and (b) provision of at least one strap; each strap being permanently attached at one end to the anterior, outer surface of the upper and each strap having on an inner side a second fastenable surface capable in use of forming a reversible attachment with any part of the first fastenable surface, so that in use the hoof can be placed in the boot and then held in the boot by laying the straps over the upper while applying tension to them, whereupon the non-extendable straps, once attached, prevent the upper from sliding off the hoof.
In a related aspect, the first fastenable surface and the second, complementary fastenable surface comprise a xe2x80x9chook and eyexe2x80x9d type of complementary fastenable surface for example xe2x80x9cVelcroxe2x80x9d(TM).
Preferably the upper is made from a xe2x80x9cNeoprenexe2x80x9d foam sheet bearing on its outer surface a first fastenable surface.
Preferably a set of one or more flexible non-extendible strips comprises two major strips and one minor strip.
Preferably each permanently attached end of a strap is also attached to an end of another strap, so that the straps together comprise a non-extendible band.
Preferably the permanent attachment of the two major strips is low on the anterior surface of the boot, and each attached end of each major strip is attached to the other, each major strip extends in a direction opposite to that of the other, and the free end of each strip is orientated towards the rear of the boot so that the major strips, if reversibly attached to the wall, are orientated along the lines of stresses caused within the boot during use.
Preferably the third, minor strip has at one end an attachment point 18 high at the rear of the wall, and the strip is orientated horizontally, and the free end is capable of attachment to the wall about the rear of the hoof so that the hoof may be initially held in place.
Preferably at least one of the straps also has an outer side covered with the first fastenable surface.
Preferably the free edge of the upper is provided with an at least partial notch at the posterior aspect; the notch being provided with a flexible non-extendable strap capable of bridging the notch; the strap being fixed at one end near to an edge of the notch and having along an inner side the second, complementary fastenable surface.
Optionally a rigid material may be included within the pliable base of the boot and about the periphery of the base, so that if an animal bears weight on a diseased hoof, the rigid material is capable of transferring a proportion of the weight on to unaffected parts of the hoof.
Preferably the rigid material has a shape resembling a horse shoe, so that if a cow having one infected claw bears weight, the hard material transfers a proportion of the weight on to the unaffected claw.
In a second broad aspect the invention provides a method of covering a hoof of an animal using the flexible boot as previously described in this section, the method including the steps of (1) fitting an open boot over a hoof, (2) closing the notch by pulling the notch strap across the notch and pushing the strap onto the outer surface of the upper, (3) pulling on each strap while bringing the strap into contact with the upper around the side of the hoof, thereby effecting fastening and so converting the resilient wall into a non-extendible and closely fitting flexible wall so that (a) the boot cannot separate from the hoof and (b) the boot forms a substantially sealed cavity around the hoof.
In a related aspect the invention provides a method of applying medication to a hoof to be treated using the flexible boot as previously described in this section, including an additional step of putting the medication into the flexible boot so that the medication lies within the substantially sealed cavity around the hoof.
In another related aspect the invention provides a method for use of a boot as described previously in this section for applying a medication to a diseased hoof over a period, the method including the steps of first treating, paring, drilling, opening, and cleaning up as appropriate for the current disease, selecting a boot having suitable dimensions, optionally applying an appropriate medication, placing the boot over the hoof, tightening the minor strap at the rear by pulling and pressing the minor strap over the wall, then tightening and pressing the major straps firmly about the wall on each side thereby enclosing the hoof in an enclosed boot together with medication.
After use, the boot may optionally be washed, disinfected, and dried out for re-use.
In a third broad aspect the invention provides a method for manufacture of a boot according to the invention, wherein the method includes the steps of moulding a base from a resilient material and moulding a wall on to the base, then of attaching one or more strips to the wall.
A preferred base material is a moulded rubber.
Optionally the base may be coated with a coating of urethane.
Optionally the side wall may be moulded to the base in a single operation.
Optionally the strap or straps may be sewn to the side wall in a selected position.
In a fourth broad aspect this invention provides a substantially enclosed boot for an animal; the boot being made of a resilient material; the base being made of a material having a lower xe2x80x9cgivexe2x80x9d and adapted to bear the weight of the animal and having a side wall, produced upward from the base and inwardly, the side wall being made of a relatively more resilient material and having a shape adapted when in use to form a substantially sealed cavity above the base and around the hoof, the sides further including fastening means.
The description of the invention to be provided herein is given purely by way of example and is not to be taken in any way as limiting the scope or extent of the invention.